About Dream of Wild Health
Dream of Wild Health (DWH) is an intertribal, independent 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Native American community. Dream of Wild Health is one of the longest continually operating Native American organizations in the Twin Cities. DWH owns a 30-acre farm in Hugo, MN, providing educational programs that reconnect the urban Native American community with traditional Native plants and their culinary, medicinal and spiritual use. DWH maintains an urban presence in Minneapolis with offices in the heart of the Phillips neighborhood in the Native American Cultural Corridor on Franklin Avenue.
Each year Dream of Wild Health teaches Native American youth about gardening, cooking, and culture while developing job and leadership skills throughout youth programs. Dream of Wild Health runs a CSA called the Indigenous Food Share (IFS) and sells produce at the Four Sisters Farmers Market in Minneapolis. We also grow Indigenous foods including corn, beans and squash from a collection of rare seeds that were given to us by Cora Baker, a Potawatomi elder. Dream of Wild Health partners with dozens of urban and tribal organizations on programs that work to restore the mental, physical, and emotional health of the Native American community.
DWH is a founding member of the Indigenous Seedkeepers Alliance, a network of Native people and organizations dedicated to returning indigenous foods to our communities. Together with our partners, we are organizing a comprehensive Indigenous Food Network that incorporates access to affordable healthy and traditional foods with support for regional Native food producers, creative and accessible channels of distribution, and opportunities for job training and employment.
Mission & Vision
Mission
The mission of Dream of Wild Health is to restore health and well-being in the Native community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways.
Core Values
Our work at Dream of Wild Health is guided by these values:
History
Dream of Wild Health is one of the oldest and longest operating Native American led and focused nonprofits in the Twin Cities.
Dream of Wild Health began as a program of Peta Wakan Tipi, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that was founded in 1986 to provide transitional housing and supportive services in a cultural context for homeless and chemically dependent Native Americans.
In answer to residents’ requests for re-connection with their traditions, foods and medicines, Dream of Wild Health was created in 1998 to recover and preserve the traditional Native American relationship between people and plants, especially traditional plants that offer spiritual and physical sustenance to our ancestors.
In 2011, following the retirement of founder, Sally Auger, the transitional housing programs were closed.
As Dream of Wild Health has become the primary focus of the non-profit organization, the name was of the 501(c)3 organization formerly known as Peta Wakan Tipi was legally changed in 2012.
Today, Dream of Wild Health has grown into a 30-acre farm in Hugo, Minnesota, and serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities Native community as an independent 501(c)3 entity. Dream of Wild Health is now working to create and restore an Indigenous relationship with the land and to offer access to healthy foods and lifestyles.
History Timeline
1986
Peta Wakan Tipi, Sacred Fire Lodge, was founded to provide transitional housing and supportive services in a cultural context for homeless and chemically dependent Native Americans.
1998
Dream of Wild Health began as a program of Peta Wakan Tipi.
2000
Cora Baker, a Potawatomi Seed Keeper, donated her lifetime collection of seeds to the Dream of Wild Health program.
2004
Peta Wakan Tipi purchased its 10-acre farm in Hugo, MN.
2007
Peta Wakan Tipi / Dream of Wild Health moved to the farm purchased in Hugo, MN.
2011
Following the retirement of founder, Sally Auger, the transitional housing programs of Peta Wakan Tipi were closed.
2012
The name was legally changed to Dream of Wild Health.
2016
Dream of Wild Health grows 5 tons of produce each year, offers an Indigenous Food Share, Youth programs, supports East Side Garden, and maintains an office in South Minneapolis.
2017
Indigenous Food Network partners with Native American Organizations who are committed to providing healthy Indigenous foods to participants. Dream of Wild Health hosts the first Indigenous Food Tasting.
2018
Dream of Wild Health distributes 7.6 tons of produce to program participants, farmers markets, and Indigenous Food Share. Dream of Wild Health introduced Farm and Kitchen Warriors to youth programs.
2019
Diane Wilson retires and Neely Snyder becomes Executive Director. Dream of Wild Health firsts include hiring Seed team, Full-Time Office Admin, Indigenous Food Network coordinator, and a Youth Alumni as seasonal farmer!
2020
Dream of Wild Health purchases 20 acres of farmland down the street from the 10-acre property with full support from current funders, and begins soil improvement efforts.
2021
Dream of Wild Health works with Savannah Institute and Native-owned Architect to design the layout of the new farm property. Plans for future programming begin.
2022
New program launches to help Indigenous Food Share members to connect with traditional foods, medicines and lifeways. Farm grows 13.5 tons of produce! We kick off construction on our new property.
2023
Dream of Wild Health celebrates 25 years of restoring health and wellbeing in the Native community, receives Bush Prize for Native Nations. Pavilion constructed.
2024
Dream of Wild Health receives $1M M. Scott funding. Greenhouse constructed. Land stewardship kicks off. New larger office space! Programs expand in many ways.
2025
Dream of Wild Health redesigns logo. One thousand trees planted on new site since 2022. Final phase of capital campaign. Two youth alumni added to Board of Directors. 20 Full-time staff and growing!
Read Our Annual Reports
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We are a nonprofit organization. We rely partially on donations to fuel our mission. Consider donating today.